West Africa

Why was salt such an important trade good in West Africa?

• West Africans gave salt to their animals.
• West Africans used it to preserve food.
• Salt was used in the animist religious rituals.
• It was used by families as a cleansing agent,

Which peoples inhabited West Africa in ancient times?

• the Bantu
• the Yoruba
• the Fang
• the Tutsi

In which West African country would salt mines most likely be found?

• Mauritania
• Benin
• Burkina Faso
• Niger

West Africa is the least populous region of Africa.

• True
• False

Which of the following is West Africa's longest and most important river?

• Senegal River
• Nile River
• Niger River
• Black Volta River

Villages in West Africa represent the homesteads of extended families.

• True
• False

Which of the following correctly lists the climate zones of West Africa from north to south?

• arid desert, semiarid Sahel, savanna, rain forest
• rain forest, savanna, semiarid Sahel, arid desert
• savanna, rain forest, semiarid Sahel, arid desert
• semiarid desert, rain forest, savanna, arid desert

Which of the following statements about the European colonization of West Africa is accurate?

• Europe colonized only the coastal regions.
• Germany and Portugal claimed the territory in West Africa.
• Europeans made the important  decisions about how Africans lived.
• Europeans left the most fertile land for the Africans to use for their farms.

What is one way life in rural West Africa differs from life in cities there?

• Rural dwellers are far more likely to deal with a wide variety of people every day.
• Rural dwellers are more likely to wear traditional clothing.
• The nuclear family structure is more common in rural area.
• Rural West Africans speak English or French.

Which of the following statements about languages in West Africa is accurate.

• In some places people speak a blend of European and African languages.
• Most traditional ethnic languages of West Africa died out.
• Arabic is almost unheard of in West Africa.
• In most of West Africa it is illegal for people to speak traditional languages.